J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment Towable (adjust under load) Jib Cars

I just bought a J29(FRIB) because I couldn't find a J30 here in SoCal. Unfortunately the J29 board doesn't get much play, so since our rigs are very similar, I thought you guys might be able to help.

We plan to race here regularly.

Are towable (adjustable under load) jib leads an important addition to the boat and worth the $700-$1,000?

Do you use them on every tack, like is theoretically correct or only when the conditions change?

Thanks,

To be easily adjustable under load, you need the cars that have roller bearings (Harken or equivalent). I think you're right about the cost.

Theoretically, you could move the leeds forward as you come out of a tack, and as you get back up to speed, bring them back to their normal position. Another benefit is you have a lot more adjustment, not limited to the holes drilled in the track.

The J/30 Class doesn't allow such cars. Nobody has yet shown that the benefit does justify that expense.

One thing you can easily do is add more holes for adjustments where the genoa normally trims.

I've sailed on a number of boats with fractional rigs and those type of adjustable Jib cars. They were nice for changing wind conditions, but as a practical matter unless we were doing distance races they rarely got adjusted much on a single tack, except for reaches. Around the bouy races we had a jib cunningham that we adjusted every tack.